Chapter Text
ACT 2
“Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams
no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
-The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe
The warehouse was dark and dingy, the type of building you picture when you think of a stereotypical creepy, abandoned basement. The walls were bullet-holed and ragged, the concrete floors stained with dark spots that could only be described as blood or some other undefinable grotesque substance.
The sour, sweet smell of mold filled the air as fungus grew in the musty corners of the warehouse, black and sticky like living tar. Jean Grey stood in the middle of it all, watching as her team gently ushered the kidnapped mutants outside to safety.
The Friends of Humanity were scattered around, laid on the floor, and knocked out, all thanks to an angry Wolverine, Rogue, and Storm. Beast and Morph were currently helping the freed mutants into the jet and taking them to either a hospital, some sort of housing shelter, or back to their family.
There was one member of the FOH, the leader of the whole operation, who was awake and currently being held by Gambit, tied up and waiting till the X-Men integrated him before handing the man over to the authorities with the rest of his bigoted friends.
Jean doubted that the police would actually do something about this, as they had never really cared much about stopping the FOH in the past but it was still worth a try. There would be no stopping when it came to fighting for mutant rights.
“Is that all of them?” Wolverine grunted, his dark eyes scanning the mostly emptied building.
“Looks like it, cher” Gambit responded, his Cajun accent thick with worry after having seen the condition the captured mutants had been in.
Jean couldn't blame his obvious anger, it was horrible what the FOH had done to the mutants, treating them like animals when in reality they were similar in more ways than they could ever imagine. Mutants had hopes and dreams just like humans. They had fears, worries, and anxieties just like everybody else. They bleed, they cry, they die. How couldn’t the humans see that? Suddenly, a pang of pain hit Jean’s mind and she fell to the ground, gasping and clawing at her head.
“Jean! What’s wrong?” Cyclops cried as he crouched down to steady her, his hands grabbing her shoulders in a tight grip.
“Pain…Oh my God, so much pain…And blood…” Jean choked out as flashes of someone else's memories played inside her mind like some sort of messed up footage reel. The snapshots were too quick to make out but Jean could tell that they weren’t good memories, whoever they belonged to. A warm feeling blossomed in her stomach and then slowly crept up inside her mind, its telepathic tendrils reaching out in search of the connection. The image of a steel door flashed in her mind and she gasped, startled at the realization. “There’s someone else here, Scott…Another mutant, trapped somewhere. I…I saw their memories, all their pain. It’s awful. We need to help them, now!”
“Will do, sugar, loud and clear! Group let’s-”
Rogue was cut off as the FOH leader chuckled, startling the X-Men into a disgusted silence.
“Shut that nasty mouth of yours bâtard , there ain’t nothin' to be laughin' about here!” Gambit growled at the leader, eyes dangerously red with the threat of violence.
“What’s so funny? You got something to tell us, bub?” Wolverine hissed as he stalked over to the leader, his posture tight and itching for a fight.
The leader laughed again, almost manic in sound, “You have no idea what you're dealing with freaks!”
“What do you mean? Speak plainly or we will make you” Storm stepped through the door, back from taking care of the mutants. Her eyes turned a blinding white, the smell of lightning lingering in the dusty air.
“You don’t want to know, witch! It’s better if you leave it here. It’s better for all of us, believe me!” The human bit back, a snarl placed on his thin lips.
“It? Do you mean the mutant?” Jean asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
The man barked a laugh, “Yes, it. That thing is not a mutant, it's something else. A monster. A creature. The white devil, we called it. Just take me and leave, I don’t care. Just don’t let it free!”
The genuine fear laced in the human’s voice was shocking and Jean stood there, puzzled, unsure of what to do and what to think. Yes, most humans were scared of mutants, so scared that they’d go as far as to kill, but this raw, unadulterated fear was new, even for a member of the FOH. She just didn’t know what to make of it.
Gambit scoffed, “How original. Let me guess, you religious?” Cyclops glared at the other man, so strong it was seen even through the visor.
“We’ve wasted too much time already, we need to find them” Jean spoke up, silencing the room with her loud and commanding voice.
She told Gambit, Rogue, and Storm to stay with the leader while Wolverine and Cyclops followed her to find the trapped mutant. The steel door she had seen was bigger than the other ones in the warehouse, indicating it was built to be stronger and more durable than the other ones. It would be a pain to break though but anything was worth it when it came to saving a potentially hurt mutant.
Another image of the door flashed inside her mind but this time Jean didn’t fall but steadied her gaze, thinking hard. A pulling sensation brought her down a hallway and to the left, the feeling getting stronger and stronger by the second.
Finally, they reached a large, steel-built door, situated at the end of the room. Ominous, dark, and grimy, the door called to Jean in a way that made her skin crawl.
“In here. Through that door” Jean explained, the tension in the air growing uneasy.
“Not sketchy at all..” Wolverine growled, causing Cyclops to frown back.
“Let’s just get this over with, we need to save them, right?” Jean asked, even though she knew they would be on her side, no matter how much they complained. She just needed them to say it.
“Yup, let’s do this” Wolverine grunted out as the other man simply sighed and nodded.
With a deep breath, Jean extended her arm and held out her hand, feeling the material of the door vibrate through her mind. Curling her fingers inward, the door started to shake, causing pieces of paint and mold to fly from the ceiling with each erratic jolt. The middle of the door, inch by inch, started to melt and pull away, creating a large hole big enough for a person to step through.
It was still dark, the dull ceiling lights only illuminating a few feet in front of her, so she couldn’t see the figure hunched over in the corner of the now-open room but she could feel them. Him.
A wave of emotions filled Jean’s mind: pain, confusion, fear, and anger. It was all coming from the hurt mutant like a scream.
“Hello? Can you hear my voice?” Jean called out carefully, her tone gentle and warm. She needed to be cautious because she could spook him with one wrong word, causing the rescue to turn for the worse.
“My name is Jean Grey. I’m a part of the mutant group, the X-Men and I’m with two of my colleagues, Cyclops and Wolverine. We’re here to help you. Can you move?”
Silence.
Wolverine shuffled closer hesitantly and sniffed the air, “He’s breathing but he’s hurt. I smell blood and…sickness.”
Jean winced, “is he lucid?”
Wolverine tilted his head up, sniffing the air again, “Yeah, I think he’s awake. His heart is beating really fast but there's something wrong with it. The beating is…Irregular.” Cyclops mouthed a swear.
“Alright. I’m going to come closer, is that alright? I’m here to help you, there’s no need to be afraid. You’re safe now” Jean comforted as she took a step forward, her head swarming with an array of warning signs.
A hiss akin to a cat came from the corner of the dark room and Jean stopped, her hands suddenly clammy. “It’s alright, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you, okay? The X-Men are here to free you.”
She could hear shuffling and the clink of metal hitting concrete and the image of chains flashed in Jean’s mind. “You’re trapped, right? I can set you free. I can take those chains off of you.” Another beat of silence.
“I’m going to come closer, okay?” Jean prompted when she got no answer in return.
If the mutant decided to attack, she could easily use her telekinesis to stop him but it was still a dangerous situation. Jean took another step forward and then another until she was inches away from the opening in the door. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see a pale huddled figure, wrapped in chains and a power suppressant collar.
But there was something else, something attached to his face that looked like some sort of steel mask. No, not a mask. A muzzle. The mutant was wearing a muzzle, like a dog. Jean suppressed a gasp, her stomach nauseous at the horrific sight.
“Can you stand? How far do the chains go?” She asked, her voice as low as a whisper.
The figure tensed, the chains clinking and contracting with the movement. Very slowly, the mutant stood up on shaky legs, the chains pooling out from around his arms and legs like snakes. Jean met his gaze and for a moment, she thought the lack of light was messing with her but no, the eyes of the mutant were a pure, grayish white.
“First, I’m going to get rid of the chains with my telekinesis, then the collar, and then the…The muzzle. Okay?” Jean said, a small smile on her lips that she hoped was comforting.
The pale mutant jerked his head in a small nod and Jean got to work. The chains snapped easily from his legs and arms, landing in a contorted pile to the side. Next, the collar split into two and carefully slid off of his neck until it was completely off. Before Jean could take off the muzzle, the mutant grabbed the steel device with both hands and yanked it off, throwing it to the side with a loud clatter.
“There, all free,” Jean said, trying not to flinch at the sudden noise.
The mutant tilted his head, animal-like, unmoving. His white eyes were so pale, almost as if he were drained of color and Jean looked away, uneasy.
“Come with me, okay? Me and my team will get you out of this building and back into fresh air, how does that sound?”
The pale figure’s chest heaved widely, his breathing ragged and harsh. The smell of blood lingered in the air, thick and overwhelming.
Jean stepped back, her hand gesturing him to move forward. Cautiously, the mutant shuffled forward and stepped through the hole in the door. “There you go! Just follow me and my team, okay? We’ll get you some medical attention” Jean smiled warmly, the feeling of safety, freedom, and hope washing over her like a soft blanket.
The mutant was taller than her, his height reaching about 6’0 feet and his skinny body was barely covered in a tattered tank top and ripped jeans. The smell of dirt filled Jean’s nose and she wondered just how long he was trapped here for. When the X-Men had freed the other captives, they seemed to be in much better condition than the mutant standing in front of her.
Who was he and why did he get different treatment? Now back with Wolverine and Cyclops, the two men took in the presence of the new mutant, both worried and cautious. Out of the darkness of the room and into the dimply lit brightness of the main warehouse, Jean could see that there was a large gash across the pale mutant’s stomach, blackish blood staining his porcelain skin like oil.
Logan tensed, hackles raised, “Cut’s a couple of days old and pretty deep. We should get him medical attention now before the infection gets worse.”
Cyclops frowned, “infection?”
Wolverine huffed, “Yeah. I can smell a pretty nasty infection on the wound.”
Jean sighed, “Let’s not make him any more scared than he is, guys, come on! Let’s just get on the jet and take him to the hospital.”
The short, stalky man held up a hand, “Ya think a human hospital’s gonna know how to take care of black blood? Beast’ll know what to do, he’s smart like that.”
Cyclops nodded, “I hate to say it but Logan’s right. Humans wouldn’t know how to properly take care of him so let’s just bring him back to the school. Yeah?”
The pale mutant slowly closed and opened his eyes, his body swaying drunkenly. There was something dark behind him, like a sharp shadow, and as Jean concentrated on the shape she realized that it was a tail. A long, black tail with a needle-sharp spaded end, like a living dagger.
Now that she could see clearly, she noticed that he also had two black and white ombre-colored horns jutting out from his white hair. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Jean led the group to the front of the warehouse, where the rest of the team was waiting.
“You all good, mes amis? ” Gambit asked as they entered the now completely cleared room.
“Got the trapped mutant, he’s safe but we need to get him medical attention immediately. And it needs to be at our medical bay, so Beast can look at him. His mutation seems to be unique.” Jean explained, her tone urgent and quick.
“Understood” Storm simply said, her voice solemn as everyone else nodded in agreement.
“The police were called and the FBI is on their way to collect the Friends of Humanity. Hopefully, they’ll actually do their damn jobs this time” Rogue muttered, a gloved hand resting on her hip.
The pale mutant’s eyes snapped to the cuffed leader being held by Gambit’s hands. “Woah, now, easy there” Rogue slowly said as she saw the mutants ’ shoulders start to raise, his mouth opening to reveal deadly sharp fangs.
The leader struggled against his Gambit’s harsh grip, thrashing and tearing to get free at the sight of the man. “You! You’re supposed to be dead, you devil!” He screamed, his face red with anger.
The tailed mutant growled a deep and guttural sound that echoed off the walls, vibrating through the air and into the leader’s ears like a curse.
“Don’t. There’s no need for a fight” Cyclops ordered, his hand raised in case a fight broke out.
The leader spat on the floor, “How’d you like being a dog, devil? Did you enjoy the muzzle I gifted you? It matched that pretty collar of yours nicely, I think.”
Storm stifled a horrified gasp as the heat plummeted, causing the room to suddenly become uncomfortably cold. “Enough! You will be silent!” She yelled, her voice unshaken even through all the disgust she felt.
The human man stilled, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly. Frost curled inside the dank corners of the basement and the fresh smell of ice filled the air.
“Storm..” Wolverine warned, dark eyes downwards as he began to shiver.
“Right, my apologies…” The white-haired woman sighed and with a wave of her hands, the frost melted and the room returned back to its original humid atmosphere.
“Did you get any information out of him when we were gone?” Cyclops asked and gestured to the leader who was still trapped tightly in Gambit’s hands.
“Oui, but not much. His goal was to kidnap mutants and sell them to the highest bidder. With how expensive the equipment was, Gambit thinks someone with a lot of money is backing this little side project for Friends of Humanity but Leader here says he doesn’t know who. He keeps tellin' me that he didn’t get no name, no address, nothin. He talked with the sponsor over the phone, got the money to back it up, and then would split the money made sellin the mutants with em’.
The venom in Gambit’s voice was enough to tell the rest of the X-Men that he was angry at the lack of information given.
“Well-” Jean said but was abruptly cut off by the Leader doubling over in Gambit’s arms, his whole chest heaving with deadly-sounding coughs.
“What the!” Gambit gasped, trying to lift the Leader up.
Blood spilled out from the corners of the human’s mouth, tainting his lips and chin bright red. The Cajun dropped the Leader and he fell to the floor, his whole body shaking and convulsing in continuous waves.
“Don’t let him die! We need information!” Jean cried as she crouched down, placing her hand on the human to find out what was wrong.
This entire time, the pale mutant was standing there, his white eyes slit as he watched his captor flail and sputter on the dirty warehouse floor like a rabid dog. There, a small smile placed on his lips, his fingers moving in quick succession behind his back, so quiet that no one would think twice about what he was doing.
But Jean saw an array of colors and smells flash inside her mind: black, green, and the sickly sweet smell of disease and rotting flesh. She gagged before gasping out, “It’s him! The new mutant, stop him!”
Wolverine instantly let out a growl and grabbed the pale mutant’s hands. The Leader instantly stopped seizing, his breath coming out in clear but choked inhales as, slowly, his body gave out, leaving him passed out on the floor like a doll with cut strings.
“You have to stop. Please ” Jean begged as she hesitantly came closer to the new mutant, her hands raised in warning. All the pale mutant did was hiss, thrashing against Wolverine’s grip like a mad animal.
“I know you feel like you should kill your captor but that is going to help nothing. We need more information from him so we can find and help more people like you, okay? And then we can locate more of these underground mutant rings and abolish them for good. But for that to happen, we need you to cooperate with us. You can’t kill him. But don’t worry, the Leader will be kept tightly secure in our school, locked up like the prisoner he is. So, please, stop fighting, and let’s all leave this awful place in search of a solution. Does that sound okay?”
The pale mutant let out one more snarl before coming to a complete stop. He broke out of Wolverine’s confinement but didn’t run, just cocked his head and chittered like a curious animal.
“Alright, then it’s settled! We’ll all go back to the school. Follow me" Jean decided and with that, Rogue picked up the collapsed Leader, strung him over her shoulder, and followed the rest of the group out of the warehouse and towards the jet.